He's back, and you better hide your children, Maine.
Okay, he's not back yet, but he will be next September. Sept. 8, 2017 for those of you who need to have that exact date in mind...you know, to make sure you don't schedule any other plans for that date, or work for that matter. Stephen King's Pennywise the Dancing Clown is coming back to try and terrorize even more children (and possibly adults) than he did before.
Fans of Stephen King's novel "It," and it's 1990 TV movie, have known this was going to happen sooner or later. For those of you unaware, "It" is probably the movie that has caused so many people to develop an unnecessary fear of clowns. I have numerous friends and family who still refuse to be within any distance of any clown because of the 1990 movie. Though I may also be quite terrified of them, I still find Pennywise very fascinating.
Without giving too much away: "It" is about a supernatural killer loose in the drains of Derry, Maine in the 1950s. One of the being's forms is that of a terrifying clown, who preys on children, and it is up to a group of young friends to defeat the monster. Did I mention, only children can see this creature and its forms?
Sounds creepy, right? Well, it is. Or rather, the book definitely is. The 1990 movie was creepy in its time. I remember reading "It" for the first time when I was in 6th or 7th grade, but I had watched the TV movie when I was a lot younger, probably when I was about 6 or 7 years old. My cousin and I actually got the tape (yes, the VCR tape) taken away from us because we forced his younger sister to watch it, then terrorized her about it. Needless to say, she still hates the movie. We may or may not also still terrorize her to this day.
Though I hadn't watched it for years, I remember how I easily I could recall actor Tim Curry. His creepy smile, the way he talked and laughed. He was the perfect Pennywise. This alone is what makes me skeptical about the new movie starring Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. I was, and may still be, convinced that "It" could not be redone solely because of the amazing job that Curry had done for his role.
According to 'Entertainment Weekly,' this clown change won't be as big of an issue as people fear it will be. They are planning to make this Pennywise the Dancing Clown different than Curry's. Skarsgård will be portrayed as just slightly older than the children that are hunting him. The film crew is also creating the movie in the '80s instead of the '50s. This 'new' Pennywise will also be very clean, unlike many of the clowns we see in the modern day movies and TV shows, which will help to hold true to the image of Curry's clown. There was even an image released, showing fans what the new Pennywise will look like.
Yep, still creepy. I guess it's definitely a good thing that I can't decide which clown is creepier. Curry (on the left) may only slightly win based on this picture alone. The bright red contrasting the white might be the reason.
Even though I am still very skeptical of this new "It" movie, I am still a Stephen King fan. Which means, I will most certainly be heading to theaters next September to see if Skarsgård's Pennywise will be terrifying enough to frighten me the way Curry's clown did almost 14 years ago. As long as the movie can do justice to King's work, I will probably be satisfied.
